Effect of fiber length and dispersion on properties of long glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites based on poly(butylene terephthalate)

Long glass fiber reinforced poly(butylene terephthalate) (LGF/PBT) composites with different original glass fiber lengths were prepared using a impregnation device designed by the authors. The influence of fiber length and fiber distribution on the properties of the LGF/PBT composites were studied. The results showed that the length of the residual glass fibers increased with the original glass fiber length increase of LGF/PBT composites. Scanning electron microscopy results indicated that the glass fibers of LGF/PBT composites (16 nm and 20 mm) were unevenly dispersed and this is a phenomenon of their reunion in the resin matrix. Various rheological plots including viscosity curve, storage modulus, loss modulus, and loss angle, were used to characterization the rheological properties of the pristine matrix and the LGF/PBT composites. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis results indicated that the storage and loss modulus of the LGF/PBT composites firstly increase and then decrease with original glass fiber length. The storage and loss modulus, glass transition temperatures of the pristine matrix and LGF/PBT composites increase with test frequencies increase. The activation energies of glass transition relaxation for the activation energies for loss tangent (tan delta) and loss modulus (E) peaks were calculated. Furthermore, the glass transition relaxation determined from the tan d peaks were more reliable than using the E criterion. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis indicated that the crystallization temperature (T-c), percentage crystallinity (X-c) and melting point of the LGF/PBT composites firstly increased and then slightly decreased with the increase of the original glass fiber length. Thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal gravimetric analysis curves of the LGF/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)/PBT/polyethylene-butylacrylate-glycidyl methacrylate (PTW) composites were shifted to higher temperatures with the increase of the LGF content. Thermogravimetric analysis results showed that the TG curves of the LGF/TPU/PBT/PTW composites firstly shifted to higher temperatures and then shifted to lower temperatures as the original glass fiber length increased. The limiting oxygen values of the pristine matrix and LGF/PBT composites showed little change, which indicated that the effect of the original glass fiber length on the combustion behavior of LGF/PBT composites was not obvious. The tensile strength, notched Izod impact strength, flexural strength and modulus of the LGF/PBT composites firstly increase and then decrease with the original glass fiber length. When the original glass fiber length was 12 mm, the mechanical properties of LGF/PBT composites were optimal.